Taipei, TAIWAN --( ASIA TODAY )-- This year’s Creative Expo Taiwan was the biggest ever, welcoming an estimated 350,000 people, and taking place for twelve days at five cultural and creative venues along Taipei’s new cultural corridor. This year’s theme was Culture On the Move, highlighting the old Civic Boulevard railroad turned new cultural corridor that stretches nine kilometers from east to west across Taipei. The five venues along the new cultural corridor hosted a total of 21 exhibitions, 300 events, over 200 performing artists, and more than 570 domestic and international brands from 25 countries or regions. The expo was organized by the Ministry of Culture and officially closed on May 5.

Deepening 2019 Creative Expo Taiwan’s focus on cultural curating, General Consultant Wei-Hsiung Chan and General Curator Tammy Chen-Jung Liu collectivized a group of distinguished designers to curate cultural spaces at the five venues, and performing arts were staged as the expo’s key feature. At Stage On the Move in Huashan 1914 Creative Park, over 200 performing artists from 29 performing arts groups gave more than 40 performances, totaling nearly 100 hours of entertainment throughout the expo. The legendary dance, opera, percussion, and theatre troupes of U-Theatre gave audiences a heartfelt experience of the company’s entire thirty year history at the opening ceremony. One of the most popular performances throughout the entire twelve days was Sorry Youth’s collaboration with puppet master and Taiwanese national treasure Chen Hsi-Huang, which introduced crowds of young rock music fans to traditional Taiwanese puppetry.

At Places On the Move in Huashan 1914 Creative Park, five exhibition spaces were curated on behalf of Tainan City, Taoyuan City, Pingtung County, Taitung County, and the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute. The ‘Enjoy ah !’ Taitung County space invited visitors to relax on a bed of hay and experience Taitung lifestyle, meanwhile the ‘Tea 3.1415’ National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute space offered workshops about tea production. One of the most visited attractions at Huashan 1914 Creative Park was Market On the Move ‘ Top Taiwan Feast of Nature and Culture’, which offered a temple night market experience with 24 selected food brands from Pingtung, Tainan, Taitung, Taoyuan, and Taipei all in one place.

School On the Move at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-Lab) drew large crowds, all eager to experience Taiwanese shrimp fishing accompanied by live music and dance. Curated by Wei-Lun (Frank) Huang and Intellectual Director Chang Tieh-Chih, the space also featured several artworks, seminars, and workshops about Taiwan, created by international artists and designers who participated in the ‘Lagoon Apeiron’ project. The artworks focused on contemporary culture, ecological protection, and the experience economy; aiming to provoke discussions around these topics.

Infrastructure On the Move at TRW Railway Museum is an art installation, announcing the Ministry of Culture’s plans to transform the disused railway workshop buildings into a national railway museum by 2024. The art installation itself is a viewing platform, constructed from railway sleepers with a set of steps that visitors can sit on and gaze at the old Civic Boulevard railroad tracks, while listening to a railway inspired soundscape emanating from under the steps, and watching a panoramic light show at nighttime. This art installation is a landmark of the new cultural corridor, featuring a set of commemorative plaques that explain its history and future.

At Fair On the Move - Design in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, 330 domestic and international designer lifestyle brands had an opportunity to reach corporate buyers. In the Gift section, “Life! Lab -Beauty in Utility” showcased functional products, while “Life! Lab -Beauty in Friendliness” featured products made from eco-friendly materials. The NEXT space explored new possibilities in Taiwan’s tourism industry, bringing together homeware and furniture brands. Another specially curated space, ‘Dainippon-ichi Taiwan EXPO’ was created by three hundred year old Japanese home gifts store Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, introducing visitors to traditional crafts from Taiwan and Japan through workshops about lacquerware, ceramic, fabric dying, and weaving techniques. International corporate buyers in attendance included the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, German stationery distributor Brevi Manu Trade, Hong Kong lifestyle platform Ethos and retail chain City’super, Dutch timepiece distributor Hourlux and stationery distributors ENTREPÔT-KOHEZI and Misc Group VOF, and UK stationery distributor Notable Designs. Domestic corporate buyers included National Taichung Theater, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, The Lalu Hotel, Dian Shui Lou, Hayashi Department Store, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, and iThome.

At Fair On the Move - Licensing in Taipei Expo Park - Expo Dome, 240 domestic and international graphic IP brands gathered to shake hands with corporate buyers. A series of IP On the Move talks were staged, educating the exhibitors about the latest IP industry trends, and featuring the likes of Sharon Ann Weisman from the USA’s Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association, and Dan Hsu from The Walt Disney Company (Taiwan) Ltd. Some of the expo’s longest queues amassed on the first weekend of the expo with tens of thousands of animation, graphic design, and illustration fans piling in to see their favorite characters and artists. Those who queued from the early morning were first in line for the artists’ signing events, getting their hands on a wall of one hundred limited edition Gashapon capsule vending machines, and watching the cartoon mascots parade. In addition, the Talent 100 Moves creative wall offered an enchanting AR experience of artworks by emerging artists and illustrators participating in the Talent 100 exhibition. Corporate buyers from stationery, toys, and various design sectors were in attendance, including Japanese television channel TV Tokyo, Japanese PR company LEGS COMPANY, British bookstore Magma, Taiwanese coffee chain Cama Cafe, Japanese stationery brand Pentel, German stationery brand Faber-castell, and Taiwanese department stores Dream Mall and Far Eastern Sogo.

Creative Expo Taiwan is an annual event organized by the Ministry of Culture to expand the power of culture, forward Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry, and lead in-depth investigations into cultural trends. This year’s expo broadened in scale, connecting multiple locations along Taipei’s new cultural corridor, and offering a clear vision for the future of Taiwanese cultural and creative industries. In the future, the Ministry of Culture aims to continue connecting cultural spaces across Taiwan, curating detailed exhibitions about cultural trends, and globally reinforcing brand Taiwan.

About Creative Expo Taiwan
Since 2010, the annual Creative Expo Taiwan has showcased the best of Taiwan’s cultural and creativity. This year’s Creative Expo Taiwan marked the unveiling of a new cultural corridor in Taipei. The main events took place at five locations along the corridor — Huashan 1914 Creative Park, C-Lab, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei Expo Park - Expo Dome, and TRW Railway Museum.